H.M.S. Victory by Caldercraft - Build Log

[Patrick]

Well....after 40 years of work, I retired 2 years ago and have been trying to find things to do. As a teenager, I certainly worked on plastic models, with all their glue stings and poorly fitting parts and horrific paint jobs. I remember getting a small Cutty Sark wooden model, with poor instructions and parts that were only printed to wood sheets. Everything had to be cut out and even the hull was a solid block of wood that had to be shaped and sanded....never came close to finishing.

Last year I took on a plastic model, Trumpeter's Titanic. It was a massive undertaking and took just about a year to finish. I had to learn how to handle photo etch, a paint gun, the use of CA glue and manipulating teeny, tiny parts. I took most of last summer off in the build as I own a sailboat in upstate NY, USA and that took priority, but I finished her last November or so. Is she a show room piece? Lol, no, but I am very proud of how she looks.

I have fairly good wood working skills and can problem solve a lot of things with wood. I love sailing and have always wanted to buy one of those pre-made wooden ships for my office. The ones that cost about $500-$700 USD. Instead, I decided, why not try to build one!!!!

I know this kit is VERY hard and having never even tried to build a wooden model or the subsequent issues and tasks concerning rigging, I just wanted to take a stab at it.

So I found a kit in stock in the UK through Arrow Models. I ordered her and within about 2 or 3 weeks it arrived in the USA. Arrow did a great job and while I was a bit nervous working with an overseas company where I could find little feedback, they were tops! Great communication and great customer service.

There are a number of builder logs for the HMS Victory and a few YouTube video logs that I am using. I thought I would add a log that is from a person with absolutely NO experience with this type of kit and certainly a kit that requires a high degree of skill or expertise or as is my hope....just the patience and perseverance to gut it through!

I've posted a few Titanic pics in this post, I promise going forward it will be all Victory all the time. I just want to see how the posting process works and I will start adding right away. As of Feb 21, 2024 I am on the first planking task, about 5 planks up. So.....I'll see you at the finish line and thank you!
ChrisView attachment 433093

Good luck! Several years ago I was in the same situation. Newly retired. Wood working skills. Jumped in the deep end with La Fayette ship. It came out great and I have 2 others done and HMS Victory and the US Constitution in the shipyard now. Once you start you will be hooked. You will find you need some different tools and lots of patience but they are fun builds.

 

[ENJAY49]

Lol...it was getting so bad that I couldn't even pick up pieces of wood my fingers were so caked in CA!!!!

I have a whole bag of those tips that I bought for my previous model, which was all plastic. They never seemed to work with the bottles I was using, but I am going to give them a second chance tomorrow...thanks for the reminder!!
Chris

If you're lucky, (or unlucky) enough to have a wife or girl friend, she probably has some nail polish remover (acetone) around, instant ca remover. Also good to loosen mistakingly glued parts together. (Are you familiar with Sodus Point? My brother has a summer house on the island there.)

 

[team118]

If you're lucky, (or unlucky) enough to have a wife or girl friend, she probably has some nail polish remover (acetone) around, instant ca remover. Also good to loosen mistakingly glued parts together. (Are you familiar with Sodus Point? My brother has a summer house on the island there.)

I am, we are about a 30 minute drive west of Sodus Bay, there is a large island in the middle of the bay and Sodus Point is a small community at the entrance to the bay. I nice summer location in Upstate NY

 

[paulv1958]

Hi Chris, Welcome to the CC Victory Club.

Take your time and re read the plans & instructions over and over and then like me still make mistakes. Its a huge project that requires lots of think time. Took me over a year to do the coppering ( mind you that's lots of drinks & brain failure and excuses to find something else to do.).
Have fun, that's the most important. Dont rush its a long long build...

 

[ENJAY49]

I am, we are about a 30 minute drive west of Sodus Bay, there is a large island in the middle of the bay and Sodus Point is a small community at the entrance to the bay. I nice summer location in Upstate NY

So nice in the Summer, but he had to use the ice to build the house. He lived in Penfield, then retired from Kodak. I was in Fairfield for a year. Happy sailing!

 

[HHIG]

Looking good, keep it up!!

 

[Peter Gutterman]

Talk about taking a dive into the deep end, first time in the pool! (Never shy to mix metaphors in mid-stream) I suppose this is what it must have been like for a Mid- shipman coming aboard one of His Majesty's ships of the line for the first time (ca.1812) having never been to sea. Steep on the job learning curve.(Not to mention daunting if not a little terrifying.) But from the looks of your Titanic (by name AND in task) looks like you're up to the challenge. (Post more pictures of THAT beauty, please.) Meanwhile It's a treat to follow along as you tackle this, the most monumental of ship modeling tasks. You're a better man than I am Gunga Din

 

[dnalley]

I see the challenge before me. I am impressed with the comments here. No bad thoughts or negative responses to the first attempts of planking a hull. My first attempt is arriving soon, and I am overtaken by the wealth of info here on this sight. Bearding line? My plans do not include this info. Rabbit in the keel not shown either. Upper deck is cut out of WAK. Bulkheads are slightly out of shape. Get out the power tools and see what I can mess up.

When there is fear of failure, they're will be failure.
George S. Patton

 

[ENJAY49]

I see the challenge before me. I am impressed with the comments here. No bad thoughts or negative responses to the first attempts of planking a hull. My first attempt is arriving soon, and I am overtaken by the wealth of info here on this sight. Bearding line? My plans do not include this info. Rabbit in the keel not shown either. Upper deck is cut out of WAK. Bulkheads are slightly out of shape. Get out the power tools and see what I can mess up.

When there is fear of failure, they're will be failure.
George S. Patton

It's really not as hard as it sounds, (unless you're going for a museum quality piece). Study some tutorials before you even start, beginning with your planking, many online, read instructions in advance, you'll be fine. Think like the General, positive!

 

[MisterCA]

Well....after 40 years of work, I retired 2 years ago and have been trying to find things to do. As a teenager, I certainly worked on plastic models, with all their glue stings and poorly fitting parts and horrific paint jobs. I remember getting a small Cutty Sark wooden model, with poor instructions and parts that were only printed to wood sheets. Everything had to be cut out and even the hull was a solid block of wood that had to be shaped and sanded....never came close to finishing.

Last year I took on a plastic model, Trumpeter's Titanic. It was a massive undertaking and took just about a year to finish. I had to learn how to handle photo etch, a paint gun, the use of CA glue and manipulating teeny, tiny parts. I took most of last summer off in the build as I own a sailboat in upstate NY, USA and that took priority, but I finished her last November or so. Is she a show room piece? Lol, no, but I am very proud of how she looks.

I have fairly good wood working skills and can problem solve a lot of things with wood. I love sailing and have always wanted to buy one of those pre-made wooden ships for my office. The ones that cost about $500-$700 USD. Instead, I decided, why not try to build one!!!!

I know this kit is VERY hard and having never even tried to build a wooden model or the subsequent issues and tasks concerning rigging, I just wanted to take a stab at it.

So I found a kit in stock in the UK through Arrow Models. I ordered her and within about 2 or 3 weeks it arrived in the USA. Arrow did a great job and while I was a bit nervous working with an overseas company where I could find little feedback, they were tops! Great communication and great customer service.

There are a number of builder logs for the HMS Victory and a few YouTube video logs that I am using. I thought I would add a log that is from a person with absolutely NO experience with this type of kit and certainly a kit that requires a high degree of skill or expertise or as is my hope....just the patience and perseverance to gut it through!

I've posted a few Titanic pics in this post, I promise going forward it will be all Victory all the time. I just want to see how the posting process works and I will start adding right away. As of Feb 21, 2024 I am on the first planking task, about 5 planks up. So.....I'll see you at the finish line and thank you!
ChrisView attachment 433093

Man Cave

 

[Peter Gutterman]

If it helps any, I feel the same way you do with each new project, and I've built and restored a lot of ship models over the last twenty years or so. Even so, when I look a lot of the work on this forum I feel like a neophyte. Like" I'm not worthy... I'm not worthy..." especially when some newbie pops up and creates a masterpiece. It's gonna happen. Often.
And I'll think you'll find that even the best kits leave a lot of room for improvisation and are as full of mysteries and booby traps as life in general. Like buying a lottery ticket only slightly improves your chances of hitting the jackpot. From what little you have offered of your background I have no doubt that when you connect what's in your head with your fingers you will come out a winner in the end. So, go to it and above all have fun

 

[team118]

Boy oh boy. Yesterday I tried to do as much as I could before leaving my house. In 2 hours I believe I did about 5 or 6 strakes. It's incredible just how much time and planning it takes to lay out a simple 5mm strip of wood!!!!

I I started attacking the final strips, unfortunately my plan result in a LOT of planks that ended in 'points'. I suppose it won't matter in the long run because I am going to apply copper plating, but I wonder how it would have looked if I had wanted to go natural?



I finally finished the starboard side!!! I decided to add filler to smooth out the bow and stern. I did try to add a bit of stain to the filler, perhaps a bit more?

Yep, it's a meaty mess!


After it set up, the first round of sanding really smoothed out the hull. Again, not the thing to do if you are looking to show the model in natural wood.


I believe that the hull is going to present very well once it's painted.
On to the port!

 

[team118]

So nice in the Summer, but he had to use the ice to build the house. He lived in Penfield, then retired from Kodak. I was in Fairfield for a year. Happy sailing!

I think the days of using ice to get around in our area might be over. It barely gets cold enough to freeze thick enough for cars or trailers!

 

[team118]

If it helps any, I feel the same way you do with each new project, and I've built and restored a lot of ship models over the last twenty years or so. Even so, when I look a lot of the work on this forum I feel like a neophyte. Like" I'm not worthy... I'm not worthy..." especially when some newbie pops up and creates a masterpiece. It's gonna happen. Often.
And I'll think you'll find that even the best kits leave a lot of room for improvisation and are as full of mysteries and booby traps as life in general. Like buying a lottery ticket only slightly improves your chances of hitting the jackpot. From what little you have offered of your background I have no doubt that when you connect what's in your head with your fingers you will come out a winner in the end. So, go to it and above all have fun

Isn't that the truth!!!! I am definitely NOT worthy, I watch so many videos...again and again. I think, ok, I got this and I go downstairs and I don't even come close!!!!

I think the worst part of the build is the planking. I am hoping the copper plating while a long drawn out task should go pretty straight forward.
Then the rest of the deck, cannons, port linings, etc while tedious should at least 'technically' be ok.

I am excited and nervous about the rigging, but based on the time thus far, I'm a bit a ways from that!

 

[team118]

I see the challenge before me. I am impressed with the comments here. No bad thoughts or negative responses to the first attempts of planking a hull. My first attempt is arriving soon, and I am overtaken by the wealth of info here on this sight. Bearding line? My plans do not include this info. Rabbit in the keel not shown either. Upper deck is cut out of WAK. Bulkheads are slightly out of shape. Get out the power tools and see what I can mess up.

When there is fear of failure, they're will be failure.
George S. Patton

You hit it on the head! No bad comments. Actually, if you think about it, folks are actively searching the builders logs, reading and observing them and THEN taking the time to comment and encourage. That is dedication to this hobby and from a psychological point of view, is a tremendous help!

 

[team118]

Talk about taking a dive into the deep end, first time in the pool! (Never shy to mix metaphors in mid-stream) I suppose this is what it must have been like for a Mid- shipman coming aboard one of His Majesty's ships of the line for the first time (ca.1812) having never been to sea. Steep on the job learning curve.(Not to mention daunting if not a little terrifying.) But from the looks of your Titanic (by name AND in task) looks like you're up to the challenge. (Post more pictures of THAT beauty, please.) Meanwhile It's a treat to follow along as you tackle this, the most monumental of ship modeling tasks. You're a better man than I am Gunga Din

I think about this...a midshipman back then would have been required to know the name of each and every line, halyard, sheet, guy, etc on the boat. My fear is someone is going to ask me when I'm done....can you name all those ropes? I hope so!!!!!!

So my Titanic is not even close to quality work, but I am very happy with it. I took the time to add lights to it and bought WAY TOO MANY upgraded parts and
photo etch additions. But I have always loved the ship and I love her in my bar!

I have a little keyhole (?) camera I use to look into small areas and tried to take some internal pics. lol...got me!!!!

To the webmaster....I promise no more off topic pics!!!! Please don't ding me!!!!

 

[ENJAY49]

I think the days of using ice to get around in our area might be over. It barely gets cold enough to freeze thick enough for cars or trailers!

Seeing your mention of coppering, while the plates look much more authentic, I was getting frustrated by the time spent. so I removed the few on her and went the copper tape way. As much as authenticity I'd like to show, there are other things in life without spending an inordinate of time trimming & gluing some 4000 little pieces on a model. While the tiles are really nice, the tape is presentable, at least for myself. These pictures are from a few years ago, the tape has "aged" as it should. (By the way, I was in FairPORT, it's been a while).

 

[Peter Gutterman]

Are you kidding? Your Titanic is Gorgeous!
I am in the same boat you are. (Not literally, mine's a clipper ship) but as far as the planking goes, below the waterline, ( I've already finished the upper hull in ebony. Came out OK) the substrate planking is, well, less than gorgeous. With some filling and a lot of sanding and fairing, I'm hoping to have a good even surface for my copper plating. A daunting task I only have one shot at to get it right. So now, even though I'm sick to death of working on this hull, I have to take a step back, forget that I've just begun my79th trip around the sun, and take the attitude that I have all the time in the world to take all the time required to figure it out and get it right the first time. After all, how many times do I want to do the same task to get it right once? Plus, this is the largest scale I've ever attempted (outside restorations).

 

[Peter Gutterman]

Seeing your mention of coppering, while the plates look much more authentic, I was getting frustrated by the time spent. so I removed the few on her and went the copper tape way. As much as authenticity I'd like to show, there are other things in life without spending an inordinate of time trimming & gluing some 4000 little pieces on a model. While the tiles are really nice, the tape is presentable, at least for myself. (By the way, I was in FairPORT, it's been a while).

View attachment 433992

This is precisely the goal!
Ok, so how did you do this exactly?

 

[sevish]

You Made a beautiful Titanic She's very impressive, Great work.

And Your HMS Victory turned out very beautiful. not an easy ship at all,and you did a great job ! keep on !
It's nice that we have here few Victory builds.

Cheers
Guy